This is the question that I got from my student on the last day of my 5-day summer intensive course for TOEIC reading after I gave a suggestion on what they should do during the rest of the summer break. I soon knew what he wanted me to say, and why he posed such a question to me. He just felt a bit uneasy. He was just under pressure to achieve the target score which seems way out of his reach in only a couple of weeks. So, I decided not to accommodate his request for his own good (in my interpretation!). I said, “Okay, before answering your question, let me just ask you one brief question. What will you do if I say ‘YES’ to your question? Does this make it more likely for you to do what I told you to? Aren’t you determined to achieve your target score on the August 27th test to begin with?” Oh, yes, that’s a very harsh word for the student. I know that. But he has no time to lose while shopping for the best learning method, pondering on which books to study, and eventually procrastinating before starting anything! I cannot help wonder. Why can’t people do anything unless a certain result or outcome is guaranteed by somebody else? Why do people need assurance from others that their effort will definitely be paid off before they don’t start doing anything? We’re all aware deep down that our effort does not always bring us what we’d expect, but it’s also true that we will never gain anything unless we take action. Just stand up and take action.